U.S. patent application number 16/211358 was filed with the patent office on 2019-06-13 for article transport facility.
The applicant listed for this patent is Daifuku Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Atsushi Kurayama, Sadataka Nishihara, Kenichi Ukisu.
Application Number | 20190177094 16/211358 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 66734545 |
Filed Date | 2019-06-13 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190177094 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ukisu; Kenichi ; et
al. |
June 13, 2019 |
Article Transport Facility
Abstract
The transfer apparatus transfers an article, which is a package,
to a container while holding an upper face of the package. A
control apparatus performs both a transfer control to cause the
transfer apparatus to transfer the article to the container and a
first pressing control to cause the pressing apparatus to press,
from above, the article that has been transferred to the container
through the transfer control if the article to be transferred by
the transfer apparatus is a type 1 article, and performs only the
transfer control, of the transfer control and the first pressing
control, if the article to be transferred by the transfer apparatus
is a type 2 article.
Inventors: |
Ukisu; Kenichi; (Tokyo,
JP) ; Kurayama; Atsushi; (Tokyo, JP) ;
Nishihara; Sadataka; (Tokyo, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Daifuku Co., Ltd. |
Osaka-shi |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
66734545 |
Appl. No.: |
16/211358 |
Filed: |
December 6, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65G 37/00 20130101;
B65G 2203/0216 20130101; B65G 47/917 20130101; B65G 43/08 20130101;
B65G 2203/041 20130101; B65G 47/905 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65G 47/90 20060101
B65G047/90; B65G 37/00 20060101 B65G037/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 11, 2017 |
JP |
2017-237136 |
Claims
1. An article transport facility that includes a transfer apparatus
for transferring, to a container, an article that is a package
containing a contained item, the article transport facility
comprising: a pressing apparatus configured to press, from above,
the article that has been transferred to the container; a
determination apparatus configured to determine whether the article
to be transferred by the transferring apparatus is a type 1 article
or a type 2 article; and a control apparatus configured to control
the transfer apparatus and the pressing apparatus based on
determination information from the determination apparatus,
wherein: the transfer apparatus transfers the article to the
container while holding an upper face of the package, the type 1
article is an article that is the package that air is more likely
to enter than the type 2 article, when being transferred by the
transfer apparatus, and the control apparatus performs both a
transfer control to cause the transfer apparatus to transfer the
article to the container and a first pressing control to cause the
pressing apparatus to press, from above, the article that has been
transferred to the container through the transfer control if the
article to be transferred by the transfer apparatus is the type 1
article, and performs only the transfer control, of the transfer
control and the first pressing control, if the article to be
transferred by the transfer apparatus is the type 2 article.
2. The article transport facility according to claim 1, wherein,
after the control apparatus has performed only the transfer control
of the transfer control and the first pressing control or both, the
transfer control and the first pressing control, if the height of
one or more articles in the container is higher than a set height
that is set in advance, the control apparatus performs a second
pressing control to cause the pressing apparatus to press, from
above, the one or more articles in the container.
3. The article transport facility according to claim 2, wherein,
during the second pressing control, a highest portion of the one or
more articles in the container is pressed by the pressing
apparatus.
4. The article transport facility according to claim 1, wherein:
the contained item is one of a type 1 contained item and a type 2
contained item, the type 2 contained item is a contained item that
is more easily broken than the type 1 contained item, and during
the first pressing control, if the container contains no article
that contains the type 2 contained item, the control apparatus
causes the pressing apparatus to press, from above, the article in
the container at a first set pressure, and if an article in the
container contains the type 2 contained item, the control apparatus
causes the pressing apparatus to press the article in the container
at a second set pressure, which is lower than the first set
pressure.
5. The article transport facility according to claim 1, wherein the
transfer apparatus includes a holding portion for holding the upper
face of the article and is also used as the pressing apparatus, and
wherein the control apparatus performs the transfer control and the
first pressing control so as to put the article held by the holding
portion on a placement face of the container or on another article
that has been previously transferred to the container, then lower
the holding portion to press the held article from above using the
holding portion, and thereafter release the hold of the holding
portion holding the article.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent
Application No. 2017-237136 filed Dec. 11, 2017, the disclosure of
which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an article transport
facility that includes a transfer apparatus for transferring, to a
container, an article that is a package containing a contained
item.
Description of the Related Art
[0003] A conventional example of such an article transport facility
is described in JP 2015-039767A. The article transport facility
described in JP 2015-039767A transfers an article to a container
using a transfer apparatus (picking robot P). There are cases where
this kind of article transport facility transfers an article, which
is formed by a package, such as one made of synthetic resin,
containing a contained item, while holding an upper face of the
package using the transfer apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] If the package and the contained item are soft, there are
cases where, when the upper face of the package is held by the
transfer apparatus, the package deforms to drop down, making the
pressure within the package negative, and air flows into the
package from a ventilation hole formed in the package. As a result
of air thus flowing into the package, the article to be transferred
to the container expands and the volume thereof increases, which
degrades the storage efficiency of the container. For this reason,
there is a need to increase the storage efficiency of the container
in the case of transferring, to the container, an article that is a
package containing a contained item.
[0005] There is, accordingly, a demand for realizing an article
transport facility capable of increasing the storage efficiency of
a container in the case of transferring, to the container, an
article that is a package containing a contained item.
[0006] In view of the foregoing situation, a characteristic
configuration of an article transport facility is an article
transport facility that includes a transfer apparatus for
transferring, to a container, an article that is a package
containing a contained item, the article transport facility
including: a pressing apparatus configured to press, from above,
the article that has been transferred to the container; a
determination apparatus configured to determine whether the article
to be transferred by the transferring apparatus is a type 1 article
or a type 2 article; and a control apparatus configured to control
the transfer apparatus and the pressing apparatus based on
determination information from the determination apparatus, wherein
the transfer apparatus transfers the article to the container while
holding an upper face of the package, the type 1 article is an
article that is the package that air is more likely to enter than
the type 2 article, when being transferred by the transfer
apparatus, and the control apparatus performs both a transfer
control to cause the transfer apparatus to transfer the article to
the container and a first pressing control to cause the pressing
apparatus to press, from above, the article that has been
transferred to the container through the transfer control if the
article to be transferred by the transfer apparatus is the type 1
article, and performs only the transfer control, of the transfer
control and the first pressing control, if the article to be
transferred by the transfer apparatus is the type 2 article.
[0007] With this configuration, in the case of transferring the
type 1 article that air is relatively likely to enter, using the
transfer apparatus, air that has flowed into the package of the
article can be discharged by performing the transfer control to
cause the transfer apparatus to transfer the article to a
container, and performing the first pressing control to cause the
pressing apparatus to press, from above, the article in the
container. As a result, the volume of the article contained in the
container can be kept small.
[0008] In the case of transferring a type 2 article that air is
relatively unlikely to enter, using the transfer apparatus, the
article is transferred to a container using the transfer apparatus
by performing the transfer control, but the first pressing control
is not performed. As a result, the article can be efficiently
transferred to the container.
[0009] Accordingly, the storage efficiency of the container can be
increased while efficiently transferring the article that is the
package containing the contained item.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an article transport facility.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an article.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a control block diagram.
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates a state of transferring type 1
articles.
[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates a state of transferring type 1
articles.
[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates a state of pressing the type 1
articles.
[0016] FIG. 7 illustrates a state where the type 1 articles that
have been transferred to a container have expanded.
[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates a state of pressing the type 1
articles.
[0018] FIG. 9 illustrates a state of transferring a type 2
article.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a transfer control.
[0020] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a transfer-containing control.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
1. Embodiment
[0021] An embodiment of an article transport facility will be
described based on the drawings.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, an article transport facility includes a
first transport apparatus 1 for transferring first containers C1, a
second transport apparatus 2 for transferring second containers C2,
a transfer apparatus 3 for transferring articles W contained in the
second containers C2 to the first containers C1 and putting the
articles W into the first container C1, and an automated storage 4
for keeping the second container C2.
Automated Storage
[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the automated storage 4 includes storage
shelves 6, a transport carriage 7, relay conveyers 8, and lift
apparatuses 9.
[0024] A pair of storage shelves 6 is installed while being spaced
apart. A plurality of shelf plates 11 are arranged in the up-down
direction in each storage shelf 6. The storage shelves 6 store the
second containers C2 in a state of supporting the second containers
C2 on the shelf plates 11. The transport carriage 7 travels between
the two storage shelves 6 along these storage shelves 6 to
transport the second containers C2.
[0025] The relay conveyers 8 include loading relay conveyers 8,
which are used to put the second containers C2 onto the storage
shelves 6, and unloading relay conveyers 8, which are used to take
the second containers C2 out of the storage shelves 6. A plurality
of pairs of these relay conveyers 8 are arranged in the up-down
direction in correspondence with the number of shelf plates 11 in
the storage shelves 6. The lift apparatuses 9 include a loading
lift apparatus 9 and an unloading lift apparatus 9. These lift
apparatuses 9 each have a conveyer. The loading lift apparatus 9
can receive the second containers C2 from the second transport
apparatus 2, and deliver the second containers C2 to the second
transport apparatus 2. The unloading lift apparatus 9 can receive
the second containers C2 from the unloading relay conveyer 8, and
deliver the second containers C2 to the second conveying apparatus
2.
[0026] The automated storage 4 transports each second container C2
stored in the storage shelves 6 to a unloading position P3 using
the transport carriage 7, the relay conveyer 8, and the lift
apparatus 9, and this second container C2 is taken out of the
automated storage 4. Also, the automated storage 4 transports each
second container C2 located at a loading position P4 to the storage
shelf 6 using the lift apparatus 9, the relay conveyer 8, and the
transport carriage 7, and this second container C2 is thus put into
the automated storage 4.
First Transport Apparatus and Second Transport Apparatus
[0027] The first transport apparatus 1 is constituted by a
conveyer, such as a roller conveyer, and transports the first
containers C1 in one direction. A first position P1 is set at an
intermediate position on a transport path of the first transport
apparatus 1. The first transport apparatus 1 transports each first
container C1 from a transport origin, which is outside the drawing,
to the first position P1, and transports this first container C1
from the first position P1 to a transport destination, which is
outside the drawing. No article W is contained in the first
container C1 that is transported to the first position P1 by the
first transport apparatus 1, but an article W, which has been
transferred by the transfer apparatus 3, is contained in a first
container C1 that is transported from the first position P1 by the
first transport apparatus 1.
[0028] The second transport apparatus 2 is constituted by a
conveyer, such as a roller conveyer, and transports second
containers C2 in one direction. The unloading position P3 is set at
an upstream end portion of the transport path of the second
transport apparatus 2, and the loading position P4 is set at a
downstream end of the transport path of the second transport
apparatus 2. Also, a second position P2 is set at an intermediate
position on the transport path of the second transport apparatus 2.
The second transport apparatus 2 transports each second container
C2 from the unloading position P3 to the second position P2, and
transports the second container C2 from the second position P2 to
the loading position P4. One or more articles W are contained in
each second container C2 that is transported to the second position
P2 by the second transport apparatus 2. The articles W contained in
one second container C2 are of the same type.
[0029] That is to say, in the transport facility, an empty first
container C1 is transported to the first position P1 by the first
transport apparatus 1, and meanwhile, a second container C2
containing articles W is taken out of the automated storage 4, and
the second container C2 taken out of the automated storage 4 is
transported to the second position P2 by the second transport
apparatus 2.
[0030] Then, the transfer apparatus 3 takes the articles W out of
the second container C2 located at the second position P2, and
transfers the articles W from the second container C2 to the first
container C1 so that the articles W taken out of the second
container C2 are contained in the first container C1 located at the
first position P1. The second container C2 of which all of the
articles W to be taken out have been taken out is transported from
the second position P2 and is put into the automated storage 4 by
the second transport apparatus 2. The first container C1 in which
all of the articles W to be contained are contained is transported
from the first position P1 by the first transport apparatus 1. In
the following description, of the articles W contained in a second
container C2 that has been transported to the second position P2,
each of the articles W to be transferred to a first container C1
will be referred to as an article W to be transferred.
Container
[0031] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, each first container C1 includes a
rectangular supporting portion 13 for supporting articles W from
below, and side wall portions 14, which are raised from four sides
that form an outer periphery of the supporting portion 13. The
first container C1 is formed into a box shape that is open in its
upper face. A supporting face 13A for supporting articles W from
below is formed by an upper face of the supporting portion 13.
Assuming that a direction parallel to the supporting face 13A of
the first container C1 is an alignment direction Y, and a direction
perpendicular to the alignment direction is a stacking direction X,
the first container C1 is formed to have a size that allows
articles W to be contained in a state of being arranged in the
alignment direction Y and the stacking direction X, on the
supporting face 13A. Although not shown in the diagrams, the
direction perpendicular to the sheets of FIGS. 4 to 8 is also the
alignment direction Y parallel to the supporting face 13A. The
second container C2 is formed into a box shape that is open in its
upper face, similarly to the first container C1, and a description
thereof is omitted accordingly.
[0032] In this embodiment, corrugated fiberboard boxes are used as
the first containers C1, and foldable containers are used as the
second containers C2. Note that each first container C1 corresponds
to a container to which an article W is transferred by the transfer
apparatus 3.
Article
[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, an article W has a package B containing
a contained item G. There are a plurality of types of articles W,
and at least one of the package B and the contained item G differs
between different types of articles W. In the this embodiment, each
package B is, for example, a soft bag that is made of synthetic
resin, or a paper box that is not very soft, and each contained
item G is clothing or an accessory, such as a garment, socks,
slippers, or sunglasses. That is to say, the articles W include an
article W that has a bag-shaped package B containing a garment G
serving as a contained item G, such as one shown in FIG. 2, an
article that has a cardboard package B containing slippers serving
as a contained item G, and the like.
[0034] Also, there are articles W in which contained items G
contained in packages B are not relatively easily broken (e.g. an
article W that contains a garment as a contained item G), and
articles W in which contained items G contained in packages B are
relatively easily broken (e.g. an article W that contains
sunglasses as a contained item G).
[0035] An article W using a soft bag as the package B and also
using a soft garment as the contained item G is relatively likely
to lose its shape, and is soft. In contrast, an article W using a
cardboard box that is not very soft as a package B, and an article
W in which a paperboard that is not very soft is contained together
with the contained item G in the package B are relatively unlikely
to lose their shape, and are not very soft. Thus, the articles W
may have different softnesses depending on the type.
[0036] The articles W may include articles W that have packages B
with ventilation holes E, such as one shown in FIG. 2, and articles
W with packages B with no ventilation hole E. Even the articles W
that have packages B with ventilation holes E may have different
sizes or numbers of ventilation holes E. Furthermore, the articles
W may have different softnesses depending on the type, as mentioned
above. For this reason, when being held and lifted up by the
transfer apparatus 3, some articles W are likely to lose their
shape and air is likely to enter the packages B thereof from the
ventilation holes E, whereas air is not likely to enter the
packages B of other articles W because these articles W do not lose
their shape, or the articles W lose their shape but have no
ventilation hole E or small ventilation holes E.
Transfer Apparatus
[0037] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the transfer apparatus 3 includes
an articulated arm 16 and a suction pad 17 supported at a leading
end of the arm 16, and can support an article W while being
attached via suction to the upper face thereof using the suction
pad 17. As shown in FIG. 4, the transfer apparatus 3 uses suction
to attach and hold, using the suction pad 17, the upper face of an
article W contained in a second container C2 located at the second
position P2. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the transfer apparatus 3
takes the article W out of the second container C2 and puts this
article W into a first container C1 located at the first position
P1, and thereafter release the suction of the suction pad 17 being
attached to the article W to transfer the article W from the second
container C2 to the first container C1. Thus, the transfer
apparatus 3 transfers an article W to a first container C1 while
holding the upper face of a package B, which serves as the upper
face of the article W. Note that the suction pad 17 corresponds to
a holding portion that is provided in the transfer apparatus 3 and
holds the upper face of an article W. The "upper face" of an
article refers to an upward direction of an article W in a state of
being contained in a first container C1 or a second container C2,
and the "upward direction" refers to one direction of the stacking
direction X.
[0038] In this embodiment, the transfer apparatus 3 is provided
with the suction pad 17 shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 opposing the
supporting face 13A. A plurality of suction pads 17 are aligned in
the alignment direction Y. The transfer apparatus 3 selects some or
all of the plurality of suction pads 17 in accordance with the type
of the article W, particularly the size of the upper face of the
article W, and uses suction to attach and support the article using
the selected suction pads 17.
[0039] As shown in FIG. 6, the transfer apparatus 3 can press, from
above, articles W contained in a first container C1 using a
corresponding suction pad 17 by lowering the suction pad 17 in a
state of being located immediately above the articles W contained
in the first container C1. That is to say, the transfer apparatus 3
is also used as a pressing apparatus 18 for pressing, from above,
articles W that have been transferred to a first container C1.
Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the transfer apparatus 3 includes a
pressing sensor 19 for detecting a pressing force when articles W
are pressed from above by the suction pad 17.
Control Apparatus
[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, the transport facility includes the
first transport apparatus 1, the second transport apparatus 2, the
transfer apparatus 3, and a control apparatus H for controlling the
automated storage 4.
[0041] Each article W is assigned an article code, which differs
depending on the type. The article code and article information are
stored in association with each other in the control apparatus H.
The article information is information indicating the length,
width, height, and weight of each article W, pattern information,
the degree to which air enters the package B, the fragility and the
centroid position of the article W, and so on.
[0042] Each articles W is classified into one of a type 1 article
W1, which has a package B that air is more likely to enter than a
predetermined level when the article W is transferred by the
transfer apparatus 3, and a type 2 article W2, which has a package
B that air is less likely to enter than the predetermined level
when the article W is transferred by the transfer apparatus 3. That
is to say, there are two types of articles W, namely the type 1
article W1 and the type 2 article W2, and the type 1 article W1 is
an article W that has a package B that air is more likely to enter
when the article W is transferred by the transfer apparatus 3, than
the type 2 article W2.
[0043] Information regarding whether each article W is the type 1
article W1 or the type 2 article W2 serves as the information
indicating the degree to which air enters the package B, of the
article information stored in the control apparatus H. This
information allows the control apparatus H to determine whether
each article W to be transferred is the type 1 article W1 or the
type 2 article W2, based on the information indicating the degree
to which air is likely to enter the package B. That is to say, the
control apparatus H has a function of a determination apparatus 23
for determining whether each article W to be transferred by the
transfer apparatus 3 is the type 1 article W1 or the type 2 article
W2. The control apparatus H controls the transfer apparatus 3 based
on determination information, i.e. information regarding the result
of determining whether each article W is the type 1 article W1 or
the type 2 article W2.
[0044] Each contained item G is classified into one of a type 1
contained item, which is more easily broken than a predetermined
level when pressed in the up-down direction while being contained
in a package B, and a type 2 contained item, which is less easily
broken than the predetermined level when pressed in the up-down
direction while being contained in the package B. That is to say,
there are two types of contained items G, namely the type 1
contained item and the type 2 contained item, and the type 1
contained item is a contained item G that is more easily broken
than the type 2 contained item.
[0045] Information regarding whether each article W contains a
contained item G that belongs to the type 1 contained item in the
package B or a contained item G that belongs to the type 2
contained item in the package B serves as the information
indicating the fragility of the article W, of the article
information stored in the control apparatus H. The control
apparatus H can determine whether the contained item G contained in
each article W to be transferred is the type 1 contained item or
the type 2 contained item, based on the information indicating the
fragility of the article W. Furthermore, the control apparatus H
can determine whether or not one or more articles W that have
already been transferred into a first contained C1 includes an
article W that contains a contained item G that belongs to the type
1 contained item in the package B.
[0046] Also, storage position information regarding each second
container C2 kept in the automated storage 4 and a product code of
the article W contained in this second container C2 are stored in
association with each other in the control apparatus H.
[0047] Furthermore, the control apparatus H receives order
information from a plurality of shipping destinations. The order
information includes code information indicating a product code
that is set for each type of article W, and quantity information
indicating the quantity of the articles W of the type that
corresponds to the product code indicated by the code
information.
[0048] Also, the control apparatus H receives image capture
information from the first image capture apparatus 21 and image
capture information from the second image capture apparatus 22. The
first image capture apparatus 21 is installed so as to be able to
capture an image of a first container C1 located at the first
position P1, and articles W contained in the first container C1 if
this first container C1 is transparent or translucent. The second
image capture apparatus 22 is installed so as to be able to capture
an image of a second container C2 located at the second position
P2, and articles W contained in this second container C2 from the
opening formed in the upper face thereof.
[0049] Based on the image capture information from the second image
capture apparatus 22, the control apparatus H recognizes the
presence of the articles W in the second container C2 located at
the second position P2, and determines the type of the articles W
whose presence has thus been recognized. More specifically, based
on the image capture information from the second image capture
apparatus 22, the control apparatus H detects a region higher than
the supporting face 13A of the second container C2, and determines
that articles W are present in the region higher than the
supporting face 13A. The control apparatus H also performs image
processing, such as pattern matching, on the region higher than the
supporting face 13A based on the pattern information, and
determines the type of the present article W.
[0050] Based on the image capture information from the first image
capture apparatus 21, the control apparatus H determines the
orientation and position of the articles W contained in the first
container C1 located at the first position P1, and determines
whether or not the articles W are contained in the first container
C1 in accordance with the arrangement indicated by arrangement
information.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 10, the control apparatus H performs an
article sorting control, an arrangement setting control, and a
transport-transfer control, in this order. The article sorting
control is a control to set the quantity of the first containers C1
for stacking articles W to be transferred, indicated by the order
information. The arrangement setting control is a control to set
the arrangement, in a first container C1, of one or more articles W
to be transferred and contained in one first container C1, and to
set article order, namely the order in which the articles W are
stacked in the first container C1 in accordance with the
arrangement. The transport-transfer control is a control that is
performed based on the set arrangement and article order, to
control the first transport apparatus 1, the second transport
apparatus 2, and the transfer apparatus 3 so as to transfer
articles W to be transferred to a first container C1 in the
orientation and position indicated by the arrangement, in the order
indicated by the article order.
Article Sorting Control
[0052] The article sorting control sets the quantity of the first
containers C1 to contain articles W to be transferred indicated by
the order information.
[0053] Specifically, articles W are contained so that the total
volume of the articles W contained in one first container C1 is
less than or equal to a set volume, i.e. a volume set for the first
container C1 for containing these articles W, in accordance with
the volume and quantity of the articles W to be transferred
indicated by the order information. In this embodiment, the set
volume is 60% of the accommodatable volume of the first container
C1. If the total volume of the articles W to be transferred
indicated by the order information is 60% or less of the
accommodatable volume of the first container C1, the articles W to
be transferred are regarded as being able to be contained in one
first container C1, and the quantity of the first containers C1 is
set to 1. If the total volume of the articles W to be transferred
indicated by the order information exceeds 60% of the
accommodatable volume of the first container C1, the quantity of
the first containers C1 is set to 2 or more so that the total
volume of the articles W to be contained in each first container C1
is 60% or less of the accommodatable volume thereof.
Arrangement Setting Control
[0054] The arrangement setting control sets the arrangement that
indicates the orientation and position, in a first container C1, of
one or more articles W to be contained in one first container C1 so
that the height of the articles W does not exceed a set height H1.
Also, the arrangement setting control is to set article order,
which is the order in which the articles W are stacked in the first
container C1 so as to be able to stack the articles in accordance
with the set arrangement. The height of the articles W that is set
through the arrangement setting control will be referred to as a
scheduled storage height H2.
Transport-Transfer Control
[0055] The transport-transfer control causes one or more articles W
from one or more second containers C2 to be contained in one first
container C1 by performing a first transport control, a second
transport control, and a transfer-containing control. At this time,
all of the articles W to be transferred indicated by the order
information are transferred to the one first container C1, and are
contained in the arrangement indicated by the arrangement
information.
[0056] The second transport control controls the second transport
apparatus 2 and the automated storage 4 to transport a second
container C2 from the storage shelf 6 to the second position P2
and, after all of the articles W to be transferred contained in the
second container C2 have been taken out at the second position P2
by the transfer apparatus 3, transport this second container C2
from the second position P2 to the storage shelf 6.
[0057] The first transport control controls the first transport
apparatus 1 to transport an empty first container C1 from the
outside to the first position P1 and, after all of the articles W
to be transferred that are to be contained in the first container
C1 at the first position P1 have been put therein by the transfer
apparatus 3, transports this first container C1 from the first
position P1 to the outside.
[0058] The transfer-containing control controls the transfer
apparatus 3 to unload the articles W to be transferred that are
contained in the second container C2 at the second position P2, and
put the articles W into the first container C1 at the first
position P1 in the arrangement indicated by the arrangement
information.
Transfer-Containing Control
[0059] Next, the transfer-containing control will be described.
[0060] If the articles W to be transferred by the transfer
apparatus 3 are the type 1 articles W1, the control apparatus H
performs both a transfer control to cause the transfer apparatus 3
to transfer the articles W to the first container C1, and a first
pressing control to cause the transfer apparatus 3 to press, from
above, the articles W that have been transferred to the first
container C1 through the transfer control. If the articles W to be
transferred by the transfer apparatus 3 are the type 2 articles W2,
the control apparatus H performs only the transfer control, of the
transfer control and the first pressing control.
[0061] After having performed only the transfer control, of the
transfer control and the first pressing control, or both the
transfer control and the first pressing control, the control
apparatus H performs a second pressing control to cause the
transfer apparatus 3 to press, from above, the one or more articles
W in the first container C1 if the height 113 of the one or more
articles W in the container C1 is higher than the set height H1
that is set in advance.
[0062] In the case of performing the first pressing control or the
second pressing control, if none of the articles W in the container
contains the type 1 contained item, the control apparatus H causes
the transfer apparatus 3 to press, from above, the articles W in
the container at a second set pressure. If any of the articles W in
the first container C1 contains the type 1 contained item, the
control apparatus H causes the transfer apparatus 3 to press the
articles W in the first container C1 at a first set pressure, which
is lower than the second set pressure.
[0063] The transfer control includes a suction-moving control to
cause a suction pad 17 to use suction to attach the upper face of
each of the articles W to be transferred that are contained in each
second container C2 to hold each of the articles W to be
transferred, and then transfer the articles W to be transferred in
the arrangement indicated by the arrangement information in the
first container C1, and a suction-release control to release the
suction of the suction pad 17 being attached to the article W to be
transferred. In the case of transferring the articles W to the
first container C1 through the suction-moving control, each article
W is put on a placement face 17A of the first container C1 or
another article W that has been priorly transferred to the first
container C1.
[0064] The first pressing control is a control performed between
the suction-moving control and the suction-release control in the
transfer control, and is a control to lower a suction pad 17 in a
state of being attached via suction to the upper face of an article
W to be transferred and thus cause the suction pad 17 to press,
from above, articles W that have already been transferred to the
first container C1.
[0065] The second pressing control is a control performed after the
transfer control has been completed, and is a control to lower a
suction pad 17 in a state of not being attached via suction to the
upper face of the article W to be transferred and thus cause the
suction pad 17 to press, from above, the articles W that have
already been transferred to the first container C1.
[0066] A further description will be given of the transfer control,
based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 11.
[0067] During the transfer control, if an article W to be
transferred is not the type 1 article W1 with a package B that air
is likely to enter (i.e. is the type 2 article W2), and the
scheduled storage height H2 is sufficiently lower than the set
height H1, the suction-moving control is performed, and thereafter,
the suction-release control is performed without performing the
first pressing control (S1 to S4). Also, during the transfer
control, if an article W to be transferred is the type 1 article
W1, the suction-moving control is performed, the first pressing
control is then performed, and thereafter, the suction-release
control is performed (S1, S2, S5 to S7). Also, during the transfer
control, even if an article W to be transferred is not the type 1
article W1 (i.e. is the type 2 article W2), if the set height H1 is
close to the scheduled storage height H2 (specifically, if the
difference therebetween is several percent or less), the
suction-moving control is performed, the first pressing control is
then performed, and thereafter, the suction-release control is
performed (S1 to S3, S5 to S7). In the case of performing the first
pressing control, if none of the articles W in the container
contains the type 1 contained item that are easily broken, the
articles W in the first container C1 are pressed at the second set
pressure (S5, S7). If any of the articles W in the first container
C1 contains the type 1 contained item, the articles W in the first
container C1 are pressed at the first set pressure that is lower
than the second set pressure (S5, S6).
[0068] Thus, the control apparatus H places the article W held by
the suction pad 17 on the placement face 17A of the first container
C1 or another article W that has been priorly transferred to the
first container C1, then lowers the suction pad 17 to press, from
above, the held article W, and thereafter performs the transfer
control and the first pressing control so as to release the hold of
the suction pad 17 holding the article W.
[0069] After the transfer control for the article W to be
transferred has been completed, if the height H3 of the articles W
contained in the first container C1 is less than or equal to the
set height H1 based on the image capture information from the first
image capture apparatus 21, the transfer-containing control for
this article W to be transferred ends (S8). After the transfer
control for the article W to be transferred has been completed, if
the height H3 of the articles W contained in the first container C1
exceeds the set height H1, the second pressing control is
repeatedly performed until the height H3 of the articles W
contained in the first container C1 is less than or equal to the
set height H1, or until the number of times that the second
pressing control is performed reaches a set count number (S8 to
S12). In the case of performing the second pressing control, if
none of the articles W in the first container C1 contains the type
1 contained item that is easily broken, the articles W in the first
container C1 are pressed at the second set pressure (S10, S12). If
any of the articles W in the first container C1 contain the type 1
contained item, the articles W in the first container C1 are
pressed at the first set pressure that is lower than the second set
pressure (S10, S11).
[0070] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, during the second pressing
control, the highest portion of one or more articles W in a first
container C1 is pressed by the transfer apparatus 3. When "the
highest portion is pressed by the transfer apparatus 3", the
highest portion of the articles W in the first container C1 need
only be located between an end portion of a suction pad 17 located
on one side in the alignment direction Y, of the plurality of
suction pads 17 aligned in the alignment direction Y in an
orientation to press the articles W, the end portion also being on
the one side, and an end portion of a suction pad 17 located on the
other side in the alignment direction Y, the end portion being also
on the other side. For this reason, for example, there may be cases
of pressing, from above, the articles W using a suction pad 17 with
the highest portion of the articles W in the first container C1
being located between adjacent suction pads 17 arranged in the
alignment direction Y, and the highest portion of the articles W in
the first container C1 do not necessarily have to be pressed
directly by a suction pad 17.
2. Other Embodiments
[0071] Next, other embodiments of the article transport facility
will be described.
[0072] (1) In the above embodiment, the set pressures are the same
for the first pressing control and the second pressing control.
However, the set pressures may differ between the first pressing
control and the second pressing control.
[0073] Specifically, for example, the first set pressure for the
first pressing control may be set higher or lower than the first
set pressure for the second pressing control, and the second set
pressure for the first pressing control may be set higher or lower
than the second set pressure for the second pressing control.
[0074] (2) In the above embodiment, during the second pressing
control, the highest portion of one or more articles W in a
container is pressed by the pressing apparatus 18. However, during
the second pressing control, the portion that has been held by the
transfer apparatus 3 may alternatively be pressed by the pressing
apparatus 18.
[0075] (3) In the above embodiment, during both the first pressing
control and the second pressing control, the articles W are pressed
at the first set pressure by the pressing apparatus 18 if any of
the articles W in a first container C1 contains the type 1
contained item that is easily broken. However, during at least one
of the first pressing control and the second pressing control, the
articles W may alternatively be pressed at the second set pressure
by the pressing apparatus 18 even if any of the articles W in the
first container C1 contains the type 1 contained item. The articles
W may not be pressed by the pressing apparatus 18 if any of the
articles W in the first container C1 contains the type 1 contained
item.
[0076] (4) In the above embodiment, the transfer apparatus 3 is
also used as the pressing apparatus 18, but the pressing apparatus
18 may alternatively be provided separately from the transfer
apparatus 3.
[0077] (5) In the above embodiment, the transfer apparatus 3
includes the suction pads 17, and each article W is held by causing
a suction pad 17 to use suction to attach to the upper face of the
article W. However, a gripping portion may also be provided in the
transfer apparatus 3, and each article W may be held by causing the
gripping portion to hold the upper face of the article W from two
opposite sides.
[0078] (6) The above embodiment has described, as an example, the
case where each article W is classified into one of the type 1
article W1 and the type 2 article W2, in accordance with the degree
to which air is likely to enter. However, this may not necessarily
be the case, and each of the type 1 article W1 and the type 2
article W2 may further be classified into a plurality of types, in
accordance with the degree to which air is likely to enter. In this
case, for example, a control other than the transfer control and
the first pressing control may be performed on articles of each
type, or the pressing force for the first pressing control may be
differentiated. Also, another classification may further be applied
in accordance with characteristics other than the degree to which
air is likely to enter, e.g. the rigidity, shape, material, or the
like of each package B. In this case, a control other than the
control performed in the above embodiment may be performed on
articles other than the type 1 article W1 and the type 2 article
W2.
[0079] (7) In this embodiment, a corrugated fiberboard box is used
as each first container C1, but a foldable container may
alternatively be used as each first container C1. In the case of
using a corrugated fiberboard box as each first container C1, a
corrugated fiberboard box may be used whose side faces can be
internally folded so that the height of the side faces is variable
(i.e. the capacity is variable).
[0080] (8) In the above embodiment, articles of one type are
contained in one second container C2, but articles of two or more
types may alternatively be contained in one second container C2.
Also, each second container C2 may also be provided with a
partition for separating the space in the second container C2 into
a plurality of areas, and articles W of different types may be
contained in different areas in the case where articles W of two or
more types are contained in one second container C2 as mentioned
above.
[0081] (9) In the above embodiment, each contained item G is
clothing or an accessory, but each contained item G may
alternatively be an item other than clothing or an accessory, e.g.
may be food, an everyday item, or the like.
[0082] (10) Note that the configurations disclosed in the above
embodiment may be combined with the configurations disclosed in the
other embodiments for application, provided there is no
inconsistency. Regarding other configurations as well, the
embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples in
all aspects. Accordingly, various modifications may be made as
appropriate without departing from the gist of the present
disclosure.
3. Summary of the Above Embodiment
[0083] A summary of the above-described article transport facility
will be described below.
[0084] An article transport facility that includes a transfer
apparatus for transferring, to a container, an article that is a
package containing a contained item, includes: a pressing apparatus
configured to press, from above, the article that has been
transferred to the container; a determination apparatus configured
to determine whether the article to be transferred by the
transferring apparatus is a type 1 article or a type 2 article; and
a control apparatus configured to control the transfer apparatus
and the pressing apparatus based on determination information from
the determination apparatus, wherein the transfer apparatus
transfers the article to the container while holding an upper face
of the package, the type 1 article is an article that is the
package that air is more likely to enter than the type 2 article,
when being transferred by the transfer apparatus, and the control
apparatus performs both a transfer control to cause the transfer
apparatus to transfer the article to the container and a first
pressing control to cause the pressing apparatus to press, from
above, the article that has been transferred to the container
through the transfer control if the article to be transferred by
the transfer apparatus is the type 1 article, and performs only the
transfer control, of the transfer control and the first pressing
control, if the article to be transferred by the transfer apparatus
is the type 2 article.
[0085] With this configuration, in the case of transferring the
type 1 article that air is relatively likely to enter, using the
transfer apparatus, air that has flowed into the package of the
article can be discharged by performing the transfer control to
cause the transfer apparatus to transfer the article to a
container, and performing the first pressing control to cause the
pressing apparatus to press, from above, the article in the
container. As a result, the volume of the article contained in the
container can be kept small.
[0086] In the case of transferring the type 2 article that air is
relatively unlikely to enter, using the transfer apparatus, the
article is transferred to a container using the transfer apparatus
by performing the transfer control, but the first pressing control
is not performed. As a result, the article can be efficiently
transferred to the container.
[0087] Accordingly, the storage efficiency of the container can be
increased while efficiently transferring the article that is the
package containing the contained item.
[0088] Mere, it is preferable that, after the control apparatus has
performed only the transfer control, of the transfer control and
the first pressing control, or both the transfer control and the
first pressing control, if the height of one or more articles in
the container is higher than a set height that is set in advance,
the control apparatus performs a second pressing control to cause
the pressing apparatus to press, from above, the one or more
articles in the container.
[0089] With this configuration, after the type 1 article has been
transferred to a container by the transfer apparatus or after the
type 2 article has been transferred by the transfer apparatus, if
the height of articles that have already been transferred to the
container that contains the above-transferred article is higher
than the set height, the second pressing control can be performed
to cause the pressing apparatus to press, from above, the articles
in the container. Thus, air that has flowed into the packages of
the articles can be discharged therefrom, and as a result, the
volume of the articles contained in the container can be kept
smaller.
[0090] Also, it is preferable that, during the second pressing
control, a highest portion of the one or more articles in the
container is pressed by the pressing apparatus.
[0091] With this configuration, by performing the second pressing
control to cause the pressing apparatus to press the highest
portion of the articles in the container, air that has flowed into
the packages of the articles can be efficiently discharged
therefrom, and the height of the entire articles in the container
can be made as uniform as possible so as to facilitate posting of
the container, for example.
[0092] It is preferable that the contained item is one of a type 1
contained item and a type 2 contained item, the type 2 contained
item is a contained item that is more easily broken than the type 1
contained item, and during the first pressing control, if the
container contains no article that contains the type 2 contained
item, the control apparatus causes the pressing apparatus to press,
from above, the article in the container at a first set pressure,
and if an article in the container contains the type 2 contained
item, the control apparatus causes the pressing apparatus to press
the article in the container at a second set pressure, which is
lower than the first set pressure.
[0093] With this configuration, if none of the articles in the
container contains the type 1 contained item that is relatively
easily broken, the articles in the container are pressed at the
second set pressure at the pressing apparatus. Thus, even if the
articles are pressed at the second set pressure that is relatively
high, the contained items contained can be prevented from being
broken. Also, by pressing the articles at the second set pressure,
air that has flowed into the packages can be readily discharged
from the packages appropriately.
[0094] If any of the articles in the container contains the type 1
contained item that is relatively easily broken, articles in the
container are pressed at the first set pressure by the pressing
apparatus. Thus, by pressing the articles at the first set pressure
that is relatively low, air can be discharged from the packages
while restraining the type 1 contained item from being broken.
[0095] It is preferable that the transfer apparatus includes a
holding portion for holding the upper face of the article and is
also used as the pressing apparatus, and the control apparatus
performs the transfer control and the first pressing control so as
to put the article held by the holding portion on a placement face
of the container or on another article that has been priorly
transferred to the container, then lower the holding portion to
press the held article from above using the holding portion, and
thereafter release the hold of the holding portion holding the
article.
[0096] With this configuration, since the transfer apparatus is
also used as the pressing apparatus, an apparatus exclusively for
pressing does not need to be provided separately from the transfer
apparatus, and the configuration of the article transport facility
can be simplified. Also, the articles are pressed by the transfer
apparatus without releasing the hold of the holding portion holding
an article when being transferred, it is possible to efficiently
transfer and press the articles compared with the case of causing
the transfer apparatus to press the articles after temporarily
releasing the hold of the holding portion holding the article.
[0097] The technique according to this disclosure can be used for
an article transport facility that includes a transfer apparatus
for transferring an article to a container.
* * * * *